It made sense to go for 1.5L TSI engine & DSG automatic because I was fed up of driving a manual in Bangalore traffic.

BHPian adith97 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Choice of car

I was looking to buy my first new car as my old car, which was my father's Duster, had become too old. I wanted to buy a sedan because growing up, we had City & Verna in our family which I absolutely loved driving. Comfort & performance wise, I feel sedans are the best. Plus I just got married & it is a small family, just me & my wife. This is the best time to have a sedan. I can always upgrade to an SUV once my family grows.
Unfortunately today there aren't many options in the C segment. We only have Virtus, Slavia, Verna and City. I shortlisted Verna & Virtus after the first round of test driving. I am 6ft 3in height & I was worried sedans won't fit me.

But except City, both Virtus & Verna were quite comfortable. I had to keep the seat at its lowest position.

Verna feels a lot more spacious inside & has a ton of features like ADAS, lane keep assist, collision warning etc etc, which honestly I don't care for. Virtus, on the other hand, is a lot less spacious. Two people can sit comfortably in the second row, not more than that. Three for short distances only. I selected the 1.5L turbo petrol engine in both the cars.

I did two more test drives on both the cars. I requested for a long test drive the third time on a highway & that sealed my decision.

Virtus on highways is an absolute beast! Once you hit that sport mode, the car just pulls you like anything. Pair that with the DSG gearbox with almost instantaneous shifts, it makes you want to reach illegal speeds. The car asks you to press more. The handling, cornering, brakes are top class. Verna is almost equally good but Virtus was a level above. My only concern was the DSG DQ200 gearbox which has had a lot of issues in the past but it seems they have refined it to make it more reliable.

My driving use was 60% highways, mostly trips to Chennai from Bangalore & 40% city, office commute 2-3 days a week. So it made sense to go for 1.5L TSI engine & DSG automatic because I was fed up of driving a manual in Bangalore traffic.

Variant

Virtus has two lines- one for the 1L TSI engine called Comfort line & one for the 1.5L TSI engine called Dynamic Line. Within these two lines, they have variants.

In Dynamic Line, there are primarily two variants - GT & GT Plus.

The only important difference is that GT comes with 2 airbags while GT Plus has 6 airbags. Apart from that, GT Plus also has sunroof (I don't like them), ventilated seats, electric adjustable seats, rain sensing vipers, automatic headlamps, cruise control etc.

Virtus has 5 star safety rating with 2 airbags itself. So I went ahead with GT variant itself as I don't care for any of the other features.

Dealership Experience

I bought the car at KUN Volkswagen dealer, JP Nagar. The experience was decent. They were not very proactive in following up. I always had to call them up & follow up for everything.

• I bargained a lot with them to get discounts. I told them that I would take insurance outside, after which they reduced it significantly all the way from around 80k to 40k. This included bumper to bumper zero depreciation, Engine protect, Cost of consumables, Return to invoice, NCB etc.I also sold my Duster to KUN motors, for which I bargained too & got a 20K exchange bonus. I thought the price was a little low compared to if I had sold outside in Cars24 or Spinny. But the process was smooth & hassle free, the amount directly went as downpayment. So I just did it.
• I also got extended warranty & standard accessories free as well.
• Another thing I checked was the road tax between KA & TN. I thought if it was significantly less, I would get it registered in TN. But turns out, it is pretty close to KA & the difference was a mere 10K. It wasn't worth it, so I did it in KA itself.
• The car was in stock already & was handed over to me in two weeks. I had told them that I would buy only if the car was in stock & that I would go to another dealer if I had to wait. I didn't like waiting for the car.
• I requested for a PDI before the car was sent to registration, which they allowed. The sales person rushed me during the PDI as he had other work but I took my sweet little time to do it.
• The delivery was done smoothly with no issues, with a cake & the car reveal.

Driving/Ownership Experience - 2000kms

It has been one month since the delivery & I have driven almost 2000Kms.

Pros

• Vehicle performance is amazing. It is a joy to push this 1.5L beast of an engine. As mentioned above, it clocks high speeds without breaking a sweat. Handling, cornering is amazing. I keep wanting to take it out for a drive.
• Gear shifts are instantaneous with DSG gearbox.
• Amazing brakes. Gives you confidence to go at high speeds.
• Silent cabin.
• Good steering control.
• Amazing ground clearance for a sedan. Never had to worry about the bottom hitting the road.
• 5 star safety rating. You can feel the build quality with the door thud.
• Decent mileage. Better than expected really. As an experiment, I drove light footed & maintained 100Km/hr through one long drive. I got 17kms/l. Generally I get around 10 in highways, which is mainly due to the speeds I go at.
• Huge boot space is very practical.
• Looks gorgeous. I think this is the best looking car in this segment
• AC is very effective. Looks like they have fixed the AC issues now. It is effective even in Chennai.
• Fabric seats are really comfortable.
• Red themed interior looks classy. Ambient red lighting looks cool as well. Lot of space is nice.
• Warning sound after 120 is not that intrusive.  With music, you won't even hear it.
• Infotainment system with Android auto is good & useful.
• Volkswagen app is nice. Tells the location of the car as well as if the engine is switched on or off. Has a theft informing system too.
• Music system is good.
• Vehicle has built a reputation as an enthusiast car. Whenever I tell anyone that I have bought Virtus, they are always surprised & say what a good car it is.

Cons

• DSG gearbox in bumper to bumper traffic is a pain. There is the known DSG lag at low speeds plus it gets real confused between 1st & 2nd gear. It is also known to heat up a lot in such traffic. I think people who primarily drive inside cities should think a lot before getting DSG.
• Transitioning to automatic has been frustrating at times. This is a personal issue. After being a manual driver for the past 10 years, with the DSG issues mentioned above, I feel like I have no control over the car. It is just driving itself. I guess, with time, I will get used to it.
• Automatic start stop system is absolute rubbish. I always switch if off as soon as I start. It is tuned so aggressively that the engine switches off even for speed breakers.
• I feel the suspension is a little stiff. Not sure if it is just me.
• There is a small noise that comes from the brake pedal when I disengage it. I asked the service person at VW & they said that it is expected. But I am pretty sure it wasn't there initially.
• My wife calls this car "the kidnap car". It is because the lock/unlock functionality for all the doors is with the driver. The passengers can't unlock their doors themselves.
• Boot door doesn't stay put. You have to open it all the way up for it stay put. Have gotten hit a couple of times already.
• Occasionally android auto gets disconnected. But this has been very very rare.

Overall, I am very satisfied with the car so far & I can't wait to keep driving it.

Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.

This car has made me a very smooth and sedate driver and I only let loose on this recent trip just to feel the performance of the car.

BHPian neoakshay recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I couldn't stretch for the 1.5 so settled for the 1.0 and it's been fantastic. I recently did Bangalore - Mangalore and on one good stretch the car effortlessly did 160 kmph without feeling strained or nervous. Very stable, planted and comfortable. I'm truly satisfied and now feel the 1.5 would have been dangerous in my hands

This car has made me a very smooth and sedate driver and I only let loose on this recent trip just to feel the performance of the car. It really cocoons you with the quiet and comfortable interior and the frankly surprisingly good audio system (without subwoofer). I found that I'm usually driving with very little throttle and a harder input gives a good shove in the right gear. No comparison to the GT's aggressive acceleration, but adequately fun and safer for our unpredictable roads.

The only thing I don't like is the slightly metallic rattly sound of this 1.0 engine at lower rpms and the engine honestly doesn't have a soulful sound at all, coming from a NA. I guess it doesn't matter when you're so comfortable and can play your favourite tunes on a long drive. I will hold on to this car for a long time, my previous car Santro lasted 19 years with me and was sold off to a new buyer who was very much happy to receive a car that was cared for in detail and still easily hits 120 kmph without a wobble.

Wishing you many happy miles ahead with your GT! My wife finds it funny how excited I still get when I spot a GT and even she now knows how to tell the difference between the 1.0 and 1.5  I'm glad I chose this car and the fact that it's made in India solves the one problem of VW (or most German cars for that matter) - spares availability and cost. This one should be very easy to love and maintain for a decade or more.

Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.

The car was unveiled alongside the Taigun GT Line and GT Plus Sport trims.

Volkswagen showcased a new variant of the Virtus called 'GT Plus Sport' at the recently held Annual Brand Conference. The car was unveiled alongside the Taigun GT Line and GT Plus Sport trims. 

The Virtus GT Plus Sport gets a few cosmetic changes compared to the standard trims. It features smoked LED headlights, a Carbon Steel Grey roof, red GT badges, red brake calipers and chrome door handles. It gets 16-inch alloy wheels painted in gloss black and black ORVMs, bumper inserts and a black spoiler.

Inside, the Virtus GT Plus Sport gets black leatherette upholstery with grey stitching, a black headliner, a Sport steering wheel with grey stitching, aluminium pedals and more. The grab handles, roof lamp housing and sun visors are finished in black.

The Virtus GT Plus Sport will be powered by the 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine that makes 148 BHP and 250 Nm. It is likely to be paired with either a 6-speed manual or a 7-speed DSG.

Being a Brazilian-spec VW Virtus, the convertible prototype is powered by a 1.4-litre TSI

Volkswagen Brazil has revealed a Virtus Cabriolet at its facility in Sao Bernardo do Campo. The Virtus convertible is a one-off project built especially for the occasion of Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula de Silva's visit to the brand's facility.

The VW Virtus convertible was specially designed to transport the President around the plant's various facilities. VW Brazil is said to have built the prototype in just 6 weeks with a team of 30 professionals.

Volkswagen hasn't just chopped off the roof of the Virtus but has actually worked on the car. Due to the absence of the roof, other key areas have been strengthened, suspension components have been upgraded, and the doors have been slightly realigned and are now pillarless. The car has been painted in Biscay Blue and rides on 18-inch wheels. Inside, the car has an all-black interior.

Being a Brazilian-spec VW Virtus, the convertible prototype is powered by a 1.4-litre TSI, which is not available on the Virtus offered in India.

Source: NoticiasAutomotivas

Driving on the highway, the max fuel efficiency I got was 23 km/l. But I would rate the car's AC an 8 out of 10.

BHPian mayank4823 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

It has been 6.5k km with my Virtus Topline 1.0 AT and I feel like sharing my 2 cents about this vehicle and why I chose this over other cars which I considered.

Why Virtus?

• Since safety was the prime reason before buying a vehicle in a budget of 15L+ on road, I had VW/Skoda (Taigun/Kushaq) on my mind.
• Skoda Jaipur gave me absolute ignorance instead of attention when I asked for a test drive. They promised to call me back in a few mins, but that call never came. Same happened with my friend who was also looking to buy a new car at the same time.
• I went to VW for a test drive for Taigun and all of them were on the road being driven by other potential buyers. While waiting for my turn, I saw a Virtus and started enquiring about it.
• The salesman told me that it starts at 13L (at that time 1.5 L cheaper than Taigun) on road but I was worried if I would be able to manage such a lengthy sedan. Upon multiple requests for a test drive from the salesman and free time in hand, I agreed.
• Driving was super smooth and effortless and the attention this car fetched on traffic signals worked in favor of VW. (To be honest, I didn't like the front chrome grill on the Taigun) and sedans being very uncommon in a sea of CSUVs, I decided to buy the Virtus.
• Lava Blue color was love at first sight.

Pros:

1. Comfort - Seats keep you firmly placed on your seat and are comfortable on long journeys.
2. Fuel Efficiency - It's better than what I expected it to be. On highways, it touched a maximum number of 23 and ended up being 19 after the trip ended. There was a little bit of off-roading as well and I feel 19 is decent.
3. Interior look - The infotainment makes it look nothing less than a sports car. I drive my Virtus sedately and never on S mode but I like the Sporty look.
4. Exterior Look - This is subjective but every time I wash it, I can never stop myself from clicking a picture or two.
5. Safety - We all know it is synonymous with VW/Skoda so no description is needed in that department.

Cons:

1. AC - It's 8/10 which isn't a great rating for an 18L car.
2. Absence of some features like proper TPMS.
3. Touch AC Controls - What better feeling than a distraction while driving a car, right? (Sarcasm attempt).
4. Dead pedal is too narrow.
5. ORVMs are small. Maybe that's because I am coming from a Dzire (and WagonR as a secondary car) which gives you square-shaped big ORVMs.

Since the pros (drive experience, safety and looks) outweigh the cons, I am quite happy with the purchase.

Also, did I tell you how amazing the Lava Blue looks? Here are some shots I took of my Virtus.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

The AC isn't as effective as that of the Honda City but the NVH levels are great.

BHPian Ishaankhndelwl recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hello,

I own a Virtus 1.0 Topline manual. I purchased it last month alongside a 5th-generation Honda City.

I took a thorough test drive of the Virtus and the Hyundai Verna. We had initially planned on booking the Highline because it came with everything we needed alongside the same infotainment as the Topline. But after reading GTO's thread on always buying the highest-specced variant of the car of your choice, we immediately took the additional 4 more airbags seriously and went ahead with the Topline.

Pros

1. It handles very well and doesn't feel underpowered at all.
2. Fairly quick acceleration despite being a 1.0L.
3. Great NVH levels compared to our Honda City which gets noisy on rough roads and triple-digit speeds on the highway.
4. Ample amount of room in the back.
5. A very great sound system that comes standard from the comfort line variant, much better than the Honda City which came with 4 speakers.
6. The virtual cockpit is something that we really like a lot.

Cons

1. The HVAC controls are a nightmare while driving and the Air conditioner doesn't perform too well (a friend owns a 1.5 DSG and that doesn't seem to be a problem in her car). The AC doesn't cool the cabin like the AC in the City. I think it is a problem only in the 1.0L.
2. Gear shifts are a little jerky, especially from 1st-2nd but definitely get better after 3rd-4th.
3. The auto start-stop is extremely sudden and jerky.
4. Rear seats aren't as comfortable as the City due to the hard suspension setup.

Do get the additional warranties if you're planning on getting the 1.5 GT, you will need it. I would strongly suggest you to take a TD of the Hyundai Verna non-turbo variant mated to an automatic. It shall give you an ample amount of power. Kudos to Hyundai for making 6 airbags as standard.

Here's what BHPian raycers_honda had to say about the matter:

With regards to the HVAC not being effective, particularly on the 1.0, on the contrary, I have never felt the lack of it. I have a 2022 1.0 Highline manual version, and I literally keep it at the first level. The key thing to note is I opted for the manual rotary knobs at the time of purchase. I'm not sure if anyone with the same specced car faces the issue.

Just a quick tip: When I drive alone, I shut all the other vents off, including the rear. The two main ones are pointed towards my face, and the right-hand side one is pointed towards the seat.

On the topic of the auto start-stop, I wish I could change this for another feature, such as a woofer. Auto start-stop is the most useless feature for a car used in the city. The moment I step into the car, I switch it off.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

This is another strength of manual transmission over DSG. If you want, it can give you phenomenal fuel economy and great acceleration as well.

BHPian CoconutCar recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hello,

I have a quick update. I went on a 450 km trip recently. The fuel economy made me happy.

How did I achieve this?

I reached comfortable cruising speed, put it at cruise control and in 6th gear, as mine is an MT. 2 cylinder mode is smooth and it got activated.

This, in my opinion, is the understated feature of 1.5 TSI. If you want, it can give you phenomenal fuel economy, and great acceleration as well.

The 2-cylinder gets activated even at 110 km/h. This is another strength of MT over DSG. In DSG 1.5, people will struggle to get 2-cylinder activated, as the transmission is automatic. In MT, it's in your hand.

The ACT is not linked to speed but to RPM. Around 1800-2000 rpm is the region it gets activated. Try to keep your car there.

It's a beautiful engine, and I am glad I bought the MT. I was afraid of going against the grain as most GT/GT+ are DSGs.

Currently, I am running-in the engine with utmost care. Manual states, to keep it lower than half of the rev range. So not revving it over 3.5k

Dislikes

• The window motors are whiney and could be faster.
• The digital cluster is an information overload for me. I don't like it. I like simple clusters. I miss Fiesta's cockpit. I would prefer the analogue-digital dial of lower variants. Don't get me wrong. It's not bad. It's smooth, bright, everything is great. I just prefer simplicity.
• The start-stop is aggressive. Will have to get used to it.
• I am unable to figure out how to switch off the AC.
• AC controls are not intuitive.
• Tyre pressure warning without reason. Made a fool of myself on the highway.

Here's what BHPian shiv4747 had to say about the matter:

True, ACT activates even when it is at high speeds when we are soft on the A pedal. One thing I am so glad about is the 1.5 engine.

Regarding turning off the AC, slightly long-press the (-) of the AC fan speed. It will turn off. I usually turn it off before I kill the engine.

Hope it helps. Happy miles ahead.

Here's what BHPian audioholic had to say about the matter:

That is not the case, even in the DSG as long as you have a light foot on the throttle it quickly goes into 2-cylinder mode irrespective of gear and speed. The key to getting good FE in this car is to maintain a steady speed, even if it's on the higher side i.e. 100-120 also. Frequent acceleration is the biggest hit factor to FE.

Here's what BHPian CoconutCar replied:

In the MT, the car will not go into 2 Cylinder mode if cruising at 70 kmph in 6th gear. But when changed to 5th at 70, as RPM increases slightly, it goes into 2 Cylinder mode.

On the other hand, cruising at 90 in 3rd gear, again, does not activate the ACT but doing so in 5th activates the ACT. I usually take the car to 80-90 in 3rd, and then shift directly to 6th to activate ACT. This observation is for MT.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

The car was parked in the basement for over a week. When I returned, it started with the EPS and Check Engine light on.

BHPian anubhav3110 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Virtus GT Edge MT: Ownership review and tryst with service

After a long persistent itch to own a TSI, I finally booked a VW Virtus GT EDGE edition (MT - as I wanted that; Black - for the rest of the family).

The car was booked at KUN VW, OMR, Chennai in July 2023 and after a wait of ~3 months, was delivered in Oct 2023.

A bit of background (mine and search for a new car)

I love spending time with the vehicles - cars as well as motorcycles. Over the last one and a half decades, have worked with Auto OEs and consulting firms to learn more about the Industry. The work has taken me to almost all major cities (Pune, NCR, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Mumbai) and now for the last 2 years have found my peace in Chennai.

So far we sailed through one Baleno (2017), a Thunderbird (2015 - itching for an upgrade here as well) and custody of a 2002 Bullet 350.

Given the rising dust levels (ongoing construction in Chennai) and of course - the itch to add a new car to the Garage, I started exploring the options.

Search for a new car

It was simply head vs heart for us. The last time the head won was when we took Baleno over Polo GT TSI. I was not sure about the prospects of having a VW as a single car in the household and thus went for bulletproof reliability (in the budget of course).

The Baleno has served us well and taken us to multiple long trips across KA, KL, TN, AP, TS, GA, MH, GJ, MP clocking almost 60k kms since the end of 2017. Even now - notwithstanding the build quality, and rattles - it runs flawlessly.

But the heart was yearning for its comeback, and we started looking for a new car. Virtus managed to win the close contest with New Verna (very close), Seltos, and Grand Vitara. I didn't consider Slavia, Creta and Hyryder as we have them in the family. Taigun and Kushaq were ruled out based on the boot space on offer (we travel with kids - so the more the merrier).

Ownership experience for first 2k km

Must say the car stands out from the rest and in the Black color it looks quite differentiated. I got the ceramic coating done as wanted to preserve the looks and PPF was out of budget.

Since the day I got the car - the runs to Mahabalipuram & ECR have become more frequent and we enjoyed every bit of it.

I took the car to Bangalore and Chikaballapur with a full family load and was positively surprised by the road manners at highway speeds.

The factors which stood out are - High-speed stability, Good grunt from the engine from 1,500 rpm, Space, Road presence, Decent ride quality (Post breakfast backseat test - passed), good music system (subwoofer and amplifier), and ventilated seats noisy though.

There are rough edges which are already highlighted on this forum - Suspension makes noise over bumps, Interior plastic quality, sub-par Rear view camera and lack of a few features (front park sensors etc.)

One big miss which I feel is the lack of UV cut glasses. The Baleno has it, but a car which is twice as expensive and premium doesn't. Despite understanding the laws of the land, have installed 70% VLT films on the glasses (Moto Hunger Brand). Cops will catch one day, Mr. Sun will do it every day.

An abrupt end to Honeymoon

So the honeymoon period was going well, till the time I had to travel out for a week leaving the car in the Basement. Dec 7 2023, I parked the car after returning from the office in the evening. Dec 18 2023, I checked the car in the morning again.

One heartless Mr. Rat got into the bonnet - leaving all other cars in the vicinity - and decided to chew and chew more.

When I got back the car started with EPS and Check engine light on. I opened the bonnet to check and found the remnants of the feast that the son of a rat had. While major wires seemed intact, the cover across the battery was almost gone. I tried to take the car out of the parking to the podium (sensing a need for Tow) and reversed it. But the engine died and didn't start afterwards.

That's when the ghost of the infamous After Sales & Service showed up at first sight. Called RSA for a tow and explained that the battery and other systems are working. But who am I to judge, they sent a battery technician with jump-start cables!

Nevertheless, he tried and checked the battery and thus a check box was completed. Since then, for the last 4 days (Dec 18-22) I have been playing tiki-taka with RSA, Service center, Service center head, and CRM while the car is standing as is with no sight of the tow truck.

There is a Catch-22 situation though:

• The RSA (Europ Assistance) asks for 24 hours every day and then doesn't respond. Further, they also said - they don't have tow trucks and can't pick up the vehicle from the basement.
• The service center (KUN VW) is unable to send a technician to repair the vehicle so that it can be driven to the service center.
• Clearly, I am not a Baahubali who can pull the car from Basement 2 to the podium. Heck, I can't even push my Enfields up the basement.

So I am following up and keeping an eye out for growing wildlife in the car.

Still waiting to hear from RSA or the service center on the way forward.

But one thing amused me (negatively) that I have to coordinate between RSA, service center and VW CRM. Shouldn't VW have one to one interface with customers for all the queries?

Will keep the thread updated on how we get the Black Panther back on the road. Any suggestions or leads or help on taking this forward are most welcome.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.

My wife sat at the back and complained of lack of space w.r.t. Hyundai Verna / Honda City and stiff suspension.

BHPian dieselOmaniac recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Folks, want your expert opinions regarding my recent dilemma of choosing Virtus variants / engine options. I am sure to get genuine and constructive viewpoints through this forum.

Want to replace my 2-year-old Ignis Zeta with something more powerful (and a proper sedan in the 15-16L OTR range). Ignis is serving me pretty well actually (my daily drive is about 55km, mix of city and highway 60-40) giving me 18kmpl as well with no issues at all.

But alas, I had always wished to drive/own a VW at the back of my mind so decided to sell Ignis and zeroed in on Virtus. This is in spite of their dealership/service horror stories. Can't help.

Noted one fact that there is very little to choose from the sedan market these days, under the 20L range!

• City - ruled out - no turbo and obviously dated and mostly for the chauffeur-driven I thought.
• Slavia - ruled out as IMO, the Virtus looks better both interior and exterior.
• Verna - ruled out - too loud appearance - polarizing actually -doesn't like the look overall.
• Ciaz - not worth giving thought only.

So you can see - no option basically.

The VW local dealer has been pretty patient and supportive so far, I had 2 TD already. Initially drove the GT DSG and was floored by it, superb drivability and power, simply awesome. But as the GT Plus DSG is out of budget, thought to try the 1.0 TSI manual too.

Clearly, it's under par when compared with the GT but it's no slouch also, overall decent. With my usage, it can very well work for me. I hardly do 1 or 2 road trips in a year (of >500km) over and above my daily usage.

2 things I noticed during TD of the 1.0 TSI:

• They brought a brand new TD car (with only 250km on the ODO) Topline variant with electric seats. The clutch is quite long and hard (compared to my Ignis). Is it going to get normal with usage?
• Wifey sat at the back and complained of lack of space w.r.t. Verna/City and stiff suspension, basically, the ride was not as plush as she was expecting. Is this an issue with Virtus? (I might ignore this point eventually - wish me luck - as it'd mostly be driven by me and I won't bother much about the backseat comfort). But I thought space shouldn't have been an issue in Virtus.

Now the problems

• GT or 1.0 TSI (there is a new GT DSG version based on Highline, I can extend my budget to that max possible, but will lose out on 2 key features, digital cockpit and curtain airbags - will it be a good buy at 18.5L OTR)?
• If 1.0 then manual or TC? I am 51 and my knee starts to hurt sometimes if I drive long on cars with a hard clutch so will the TC be good then? Please note, I have always driven a manual throughout my life. For GT, I can make the switch but for 1.0, I am not sure as I didn't TD the 1.0 TC. (There is also a GT Plus MT but that's out of budget as well).
• If 1.0, then the Highline or Topline? Which offers more bang for the buck?
• December has some offers going on for a few models as informed by the SA. But, apparently, all offers are for 1.0 only and for non-electric seat models. And absolutely ZERO offer in any GT variants, as informed, isn't it strange (or they are just bluffing and pushing me for the 1.0 old stocks)? This can affect me in my buying decision as the difference in OTR will be huge.

I was also thinking of waiting 3 months for the FY year-end. Will the offers be more then? or December is the correct time to take the plunge? I know all car manufacturers will increase prices by 2-3% from next month so that's another factor too.

Here's what BHPian fhdowntheline had to say about the matter:

Can I suggest that if you don't have parking or other constraints, don't get rid of the Ignis? It is the ideal 2nd city car, and you never know when you need to use it when you can't take the bigger one.

As for your big car choice, if you think 6 airbags are necessary then you can overlook your visual preferences and go for the Verna. You may get an IVT SXO within your budget which is nearly as well loaded as Turbo DCT and it is decent in terms of performance, offers the convenience of an AT without too many worries, and also gets ADAS. If you still like the Virtus, please go for the top end with 6 airbags.

Here's what BHPian Newtown had to say about the matter:

Having cars with both these engine variants in them, these are my thoughts.

My Virtus is a 1.0 TC and I really enjoy driving it. It's eager and quick when you need it to be. All my previous automatic cars have been with DSGs. I find the Torque Convertor very eager at the beginning but then that's their nature. One gets used to it.

The Taigun is a 1.5 DSG. It is a different feeling from the 1.0. The 4 cylinder feels more refined and smoother. Brilliant to drive as well. The DSG sometimes overthinks the gears in the normal driving mode. In Sport mode, it really makes much quicker and smarter decisions.

Ride quality at the back for the Skodas and VWs will not be a plush one. These cars are setup up for handling. Having said that, I find the back seat ride of the Virtus excellent and confidence-inspiring. Once your family drives some more in it, it will become second nature.

Here's what BHPian CoconutCar had to say about the matter:

My suggestion is to buy the latest 1.0 Torque Convertor Topline with Electric Seats. GT is a great car. But 1.0 TC makes the most sense. Buy the Top of the line version with all the bells and whistles.

My rationale:

• At 51 I feel knee comfort is more important. That eliminates MT. But DSG GT+ is out of budget. DSG GT is in budget, but I don't like recommending a car with 2 airbags when I consciously preferred 6. Your knee is more important than your driving pleasure. You might not feel it today, but will definitely feel it 5 years later.
• 1.0 is good enough. It can cruise at 110 all day long.
• If your heart is intent on 1.5, you can check out 2nd hand low run GT DSG. There are many. You will save money too on insurance and RTO. There is no harm in buying 2nd hand, if the car is good. It's only a psychological barrier. Money saved is money earned.
• You can buy accessories and modify your 1.0 to almost look like GT.

At the end of the day, whether you're in 1.5 or 1.0 you have to cruise sedately and reach home to your loved ones safely. And that requires speeds of 110-120.

I am saying all the above in spite of driving GT+, simply because you cannot floor the GT+ in 4th, 5th, or 6th gear. In all these gears, the car takes you immediately to high speeds. But driving at such speeds is foolish on our roads.

And up till these speeds, 1.0 will do fine. I am not discouraging purchasing 1.5. It's a head vs heart matter. After all, I also chose 1.5 despite these things. I went for MT because I don't have knee problems (26 Yr. + afraid of DSG issues + used to driving MTs)

My suggestion - 1.0 Topline TC Electric Seats.

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Though the car accelerates effortlessly and I don't find any body roll even in high speeds on curvy highways, the body stability can't be compared to our first Gen VW Jetta.

BHPian shiv4747 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Update: 1000 km service feedback

Left the vehicle after fixing appointment with VW mount road on Monday morning. Initially over call while fixing appointment, they assured that car will can delivered in 3 hours since its just 1000 km check up.

Our sales rep introduced us formally to the service manager and service head.We listed out the minor compliant we had faced.

Here are the issues we mentioned about.

• Ac compressor sound. Hissing noise often
• Wind noise over right side driver window above 100kmph
• Infotainment disconnection rarely.

Since these above are mentioned service manager said it will take a day or so since there are many vehicles coming in due to Chennai floods.

Next day we called regarding the delivery. But they said its almost done and just water service was pending. Since we were not in any hurry, we said ok.

Next day in the morning we got a call to take the delivery. I went around 4 pm and took the car.

• I found the AC flow was slightly better. But I wasn't convinced though.

• The wind noise above 100 was slightly rectified.

• Regarding the infotainment disconnection, they asked to connect carplay before the drive. So that it works flawlessly. I understand that while driving, we weren't able to disconnect one and connect other.

I fuelled up XP95 this time. Went for a long drive. 1.5 engine is really fun. I just love it.

Though the car accelerates effortless and I don't find any body roll even in high speeds on curvy highways, the body stability can't compared to our first Gen VW Jetta.

With all the excitement during the delivery of new car, I did not find any complaints on the dash plastics in the front and in the windows, now I feel that it could have been better. The light color areas in the doors are bit difficult to manage it clean.

• Please mind the boot while open it using remote. We need to make sure it settles in a position when we open.

• The stiff suspension feels good in highways whereas in city, I drive it with more cautious as we had spent quite some for out jetta in our 14 years of ownership.

• Regarding the mileage the long term shows average of 13 kmpl. I observed that it gives 9 to 10 kmpl in city b2b traffic.

Last week there was an unexpected accident when my wife took the car out. A ford endeavour hit our car when she is was in idle in a signal. The rear bumper bottom area with that crome part got loosened. Nothing happened to my wife nor the car besides the same above.

Thankfully we got the dashcam installed within 3 weeks of our car delivery. The for Endeavour guy was decent enough to told her not to worry and apologised it was his mistake and shared his license, visiting card and his car's docs. He told to inform him once the VW service gives us the quote for the damage. No major scene.

My wife wasn't convinced enough regarding the AC work. So we wanted to go to service again to check on the bumper thing and the AC after discussing with Relationship manager's feedback call.
Once we reached the service, they attended us and checked the AC and told us this is the maximum limit we can do as the compressor has certain level and instructed us to keep 18 degree with 2 points in fan speed.

They hooked the rear bumper and told us there werent any scratch or anything broken. We were happy hearing this and informed the ford endeavour person regarding the same. He was glad as well.
During our long trip to Bangalore while returning, due to new roads and rain, many micro tar marks are all over the car body. Will be leaving the car for a detailed polish car wash.

We are happy with overall performance of the car. Since the car is out of break-in period, planning to take for a long drive in upcoming days and update more about the driving experience.

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